NNSA Blog

The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) and its prime contractor National Security Technologies (NSTec) have been selected to demonstrate plug-in electric vehicle technology that could help federal vehicle fleets become more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly.

Eleven Chevy Volts were recently delivered to NSTec for use in the demonstration project at the NNSS and the Nevada Site Office in North Las Vegas.

The NNSS is one of only five locations across the nation to be selected to participate in the Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) Pilot Program, the first of its kind sponsored by General Services Administration and vehicle manufacturers. Its purpose is to demonstrate plug-in electric vehicle technology for possible wider use in federal fleets nationwide.

Steven A. Mellington, manager of the NNSA Nevada Site Office, said NNSS is an ideal testing location because it will challenge the vehicles in a wide variety of driving conditions: hot and cold, flat and mountainous, rural and city. Drivers at the site experience temperatures of 100 degrees or more in the summer, and freezing and snowy conditions in the upper elevations in winter. The vehicles will also be tested in city conditions as employees drive them to and from the NNSA Nevada Site Office in North Las Vegas for their daily work activities.

Rick Tindall, superintendent of Light Fleet for NSTec, plugs in a new Chevy Volt at the company’s recharging station at its North Las Vegas facility. The new Volt is one of 11 being introduced into the NSTec fleet as part of the pilot program by the General Services Administration to demonstrate plug-in electric vehicle technology for possible wider use in federal fleets.

Stephen A. Mellington (center), Nevada Site Office Manager for NNSA, listens to a briefing from Rick Medina (right), manager of Fleet, Fuel and Equipment Services for NSTec, and Rick Tindall, superintendent of Light Fleet for NSTec, regarding the plug-in electric vehicle technology being deployed at the Nevada National Security Site. The technology is being tested by the General Services Administration for possible wider use in Federal fleets.

More than two thousand Pantexans enjoyed a barbecue lunch this week to celebrate working more than five million hours without a lost time injury. All employees on shift Tuesday were offered a lunch, with meals to be provided to workers on other shifts in the coming days.

The safety culture that has developed at Pantex starts at the worker level, where every employee is empowered to stop work immediately if they spot a safety issue. Safety considerations are integrated into all procedures and are propagated throughout the plant by a variety of employee-driven safety committees and organizations on which Pantexans volunteer to serve. More than 100 members of those safety committees served lunch.

B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery says safety is integrated into every action taken at Pantex. “This achievement validates what we know about Pantexans – that they are dedicated to performing their duties in a safe, secure and high-quality environment,” he said.

The Pantex safety program has been recognized with numerous awards, most notably Superior Star Status in the Department of Energy Voluntary Protection Program.

Using a one-of-a-kind laser system, Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists have created the largest neutron beam ever made by a short-pulse laser breaking a world record. Neutron beams are usually made with particle accelerators or nuclear reactors and are commonly used in a wide variety of scientific research, particularly in advanced materials science.

Using the TRIDENT laser, a unique and powerful 200 trillion-watt short-pulse laser, scientists from Los Alamos, the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, and Sandia National Laboratories focus high-intensity light on an ultra-thin plastic sheet infused with an isotope of hydrogen called deuterium.

The laser light — 200 quintillion watts per square centimeter, equivalent to focusing all of the light coming from the sun to the earth (120,000 terawatts) onto the tip of a pencil — interacts with the plastic sheet, creating a plasma, an electrically charged gas. A quintillion is a one with 18 zeros after it. The plasma then accelerates large numbers of deuterons — the nucleus of the deuterium atom — into a sealed beryllium target, converting the deuterons into a neutron beam.

One of the many nonproliferation challenges is the development of new safeguards technologies that can detect and deter illicit efforts to produce fissile material by countries that have committed to forgo nuclear weapons. Meeting this technology challenge is a key mission for NNSA which cooperates with its international partners to develop and implement safeguards technologies to support the International Atomic Energy Agency as it monitors countries’ compliance with their international safeguards agreements. One of the more difficult safeguards challenges is Gas Centrifuge Enrichment Plants (GCEPs), which can produce both HEU for weapons and LEU for civilian nuclear energy and other peaceful uses.

Conventional safeguards at GCEP facilities rely heavily on a combination of non-destructive and destructive analytical techniques. Non-destructive techniques can evaluate without damaging the material assessed, but the results are not always conclusive. A destructive analysis technique exists for GCEPs that is very accurate, but also less timely and cost effective.

Norm Anheier, a scientist at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), is developing a unique destructive analytical capability­­­—funded by NNSA’s Office of Nonproliferation and International Security and the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative—to provide timely detection of undeclared HEU production. In addition to its scientific novelty, this technique—called Laser Ablation Absorbance Ratio Spectroscopy Environmental Sampling (LAARS-ES)—has many practical advantages. Most notably, sample collection and analysis can be performed much more quickly and inexpensively than the conventional techniques mentioned above. The figure below lays out the measurement process.

The technique has already been successfully demonstrated at PNNL. The laboratory has started to seek engagement opportunities to conduct technology demonstrations at domestic and international GCEPs. This innovative technology is one of many funded by the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative that is applying research funding to advance U.S. and global nonproliferation efforts.

For most students, summer school was something you endured while wishing you were at the local swimming pool or air-conditioned movie theater. But not for a group of graduate students who recently signed up for a first-of-its-kind radiation detection course.

Twelve graduate students in science and engineering from across the country participated in the first Radiation Detection for Nuclear Security Summer School, co-sponsored by NNSA and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. (Watch TV clip.)

At PNNL and other facilities in Richland, Washington, students received hands-on training in detecting nuclear materials across a range of nuclear security missions. The students also learned first-hand about challenges that technical and policy experts face in the field. The students now can apply what they learned in their own research, better preparing them for nuclear security careers.

Representatives from more than 75 companies converged on Amarillo, Texas, from across the country this week to attend the first Pantex Supplier Conference.

The conference, arranged by the Pantex Supply Chain Management Division, gave suppliers a chance to interact with Pantex senior management, federal officials and supply chain personnel to increase efficiencies and deliver a better product.

The keynote speech was delivered by Daniel Saiz, NNSA manager of M&O contractors, who discussed procurement opportunities within the nuclear weapons enterprise.

Remarks by Pantex leadership focused on ways that representatives could become preferred suppliers while delivering on the safety, security and quality standards that are a hallmark of business at Pantex.

Plans call for making the conference a yearly occurrence.

About the photo:

B&W Pantex Acting Deputy General Manager Rod Johnson speaks to attendees at the first annual Pantex Supplier Conference earlier this week. Representatives from more than 75 companies attended the conference, which allowed suppliers to interact with Pantex and NNSA leaders.

A multi-federal agency effort is now underway to build a permanent Interagency Fire Center in the heart of northern New Mexico’s fire country as the one-year anniversary of New Mexico’s second largest wildfire on record approaches.

Building upon the success of last year’s multi-agency coordination during the Las Conchas fire, NNSA, Bandelier National Monument and Santa Fe National Forest have again partnered to enhance northern New Mexico fire protection efforts by building a 6,400 square foot facility to serve as a joint coordination and response center for fire events. The new building will cost more than $3 million, and will significantly enhance the current fire-fighting capacities of all the agencies.

Kevin Smith, site office manager for the NNSA’s Los Alamos Site Office said having a permanent facility dedicated to fighting wildland fires is a huge asset for the entire region, where response time matters.

The site where the new building is planned currently houses the Interagency Fire Center (TA 49) at LANL. The facility near Bandelier National Monument accommodates up to three helicopters and other equipment used for firefighting activities.

The new single-story multipurpose facility will include space for offices, training and conference rooms, and for storage of fire protection/suppression equipment. The new facility is designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) criteria. The LEED design standard reduces energy and water needs, which are important resource considerations for northern New Mexico.

Los Alamos National Laboratory yesterday celebrated the 1000th shipment of transuranic waste from the Laboratory to a permanent repository at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant near Carlsbad, N.M.

Since October 2011 (the beginning of the current federal fiscal year), LANL has sent 147 shipments to WIPP. LANL began shipping transuranic waste to WIPP in 1999, and reached the 1000th shipment milestone on June 6, 2012. LANL has sent record breaking numbers of shipments to WIPP each of the past three years and is on track to further surpass its record in 2012.

Although the TRU waste is stored safely, a decision was made by the Department of Energy, the New Mexico Environment Department and the Laboratory to accelerate the disposal of the 3,706 cubic meters of TRU waste stored above ground at Area G. The new deadline for disposal of this waste is June 30, 2014.

TRU waste consists of clothing, tools, rags, debris, soil and other items contaminated with radioactive material, mostly plutonium. Transuranic elements such as plutonium have an atomic number greater than uranium, so they are labeled transuranic, for “beyond uranium” on the periodic table of elements.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has now de-inventoried 97 percent of special nuclear material requiring the highest level of security protection.

The removal is part of NNSA's efforts to consolidate Category I and II special nuclear material, requiring the highest level of security by Oct. 1, 2012. This initiative will further improve security and reduce costs as part of NNSA's overall effort to transform the Cold War era nuclear weapons complex into a 21st century nuclear security enterprise.

All shipments have been completed in full compliance with safety and environmental laws and procedures. All federal and receiver site requirements were met for these shipments. The de-inventory project was initiated in October 2006.

NNSA had originally planned to remove high-security material from Livermore by 2014. However, NNSA developed an accelerated timeline to remove the material safely by Oct.1, 2012.

NNSA’s Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI) was recently commended by the Low-Level Radioactive Waste Forum (LLW Forum) for its efforts to find solutions to the issue of disused and unwanted radioactive sealed sources. Specifically, Abby Cuthbertson of GTRI was recognized for the work she has done, along with the Utah Division of Radiation Control and EnergySolutions, to develop a pathway for secure disposition of certain Class A sealed sources at the Clive low-level radioactive waste disposal facility in Tooele County, Utah.

At the spring meeting of the LLW Forum, a resolution was passed that acknowledged the benefits of sealed sources to society as a whole, the significant national security threat posed by disused sources, and the importance of developing disposal options as a permanent solution to the associated threat. The resolution also expresses appreciation for the coordination and cooperation by GTRI, the State of Utah, and EnergySolutionstowards meeting that challenge and contributing to our national security.

For more information on GTRI’s efforts to secure radiological sources, click here.